Vardaesia

by Lynette Noni

  “I’d like to see you try and do any better,” she grumbled.

  She straightened to standing when Kaiden rose to his feet, apparently willing to take her up on the challenge.

  “Xira, do you mind?” he asked.

  Xira’s eyes shifted to Alex for a second, a look she couldn’t read but didn’t think boded well for her, before he responded, “Show her how it’s done, Kaiden.”

  Curious as to the solidarity they’d formed in such a short acquaintance—though not thrilled to already be the butt of a joke between them—Alex watched with crossed arms as Kaiden made his way to where she stood near the tip of Xira’s outstretched wing. He ran a hand along the tough but unbelievably soft muscle, testing the texture, before he nodded and then turned to stride away from them.

  “What—” Alex didn’t get to finish asking where he was going before he spun around and, with a running start, sprint-jumped all the way up Xira’s wing onto his back without so much as a stumble.

  Gaping at him as he tauntingly weaved his way between the spikes along the length of Xira’s backbone, all Alex could do was stammer out, “How the hell did you do that?”

  Using the fleshy membrane of Xira’s wing like it was little more than a slippery slide, Kaiden dropped gracefully back down to the ground until he was standing right in front of her.

  His eyes were bright with mirth and something else entirely as he used a finger to smear some of the coloured splatter across her cheek, quietly answering, “Sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith, Alex.”

  It was impossible to miss the double meaning in his words. Just as it was impossible to miss the way he was moving closer to her.

  And the way she was moving closer to him.

  Suddenly, there was no room between them, his arms slowly circling her, with one wrapping around her waist and the other moving from her cheek to curl around her neck.

  When his face was so close that he was all she could see, he held her gaze and whispered, “I once told you that a first kiss should be memorable. Do you remember?”

  Fearing any words she offered would come out in a croak, she only nodded in reply.

  Kaiden’s mouth curled into a smile, his eyes flicking towards their glowing surrounds before returning to hers. “I’d say this is pretty memorable.”

  Alex didn’t say anything. She couldn’t say anything. Not over the wild rhythm of her pounding heart.

  Lowering his head until he was barely a breath from her, his gaze travelled over her features. She wasn’t sure what he saw there, but whatever it was, he misinterpreted it. Because instead of closing the space between them like she expected—like she wanted—he pulled away slightly and said, “I promised I’d give you as much time as you need. It’s okay if you’re not read—”

  She didn’t give him a chance to finish before she rose up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

  He stilled for a heartbeat, but then his mouth moved over hers, kissing her back softly at first and then deeper, his arm at her back keeping her close while his other hand tangled in her hair. She was just as tightly wrapped around him, his heat seeping into her, his strength enveloping her as they continued kissing under the moonlit sky in the glittering land of colour.

  It was perfect.

  It was magical.

  It was beyond anything she could have dreamed.

  Until—

  “They say three’s a crowd, but this is ridiculous.”

  Jerking back at Xira’s interruption, Alex could do nothing but stare at Kaiden with wide eyes—until she burst into startled, mortified laughter.

  Kaiden’s lips quirked as he sent a pointed look towards the draekon and offered a dry, “Help me out here, Xira.”

  With a rumbly sound of amusement, Xira leaned back on his haunches and launched his bulky hide into the air. His mirth continued echoing down to them even as he flew away, mentally telling Alex to call him when she and Kaiden were ready to return to Vardaesia.

  “Well, that was embarrassing,” Alex said when Kaiden turned back to her. But with her lips still tingling and the rest of her feeling delightfully warm from being wrapped in his embrace, she couldn’t summon any regret for their semi-public display.

  Just as she couldn’t think of any reason to stop him when he leaned towards her once again.

  And as his mouth touched hers and he kissed her tenderly beneath the star-strewn sky filled with nature’s fairy lights, Alex knew that she would never again experience anything as incredible as what she was now sharing with Kaiden. It simply wouldn’t be possible, because nothing—nothing—could top the memory of such a perfect moment in time.

  But when he finally pulled back only to look deep into her eyes, letting his joy shine brightly across his beautiful face, Alex also knew that he was going to do everything in his power to prove her wrong.

  And, smiling widely back at him, she was more than happy to let him try.

  Eighteen

  If Alex had been concerned that things would change once she and Kaiden became official, she quickly discovered she had nothing to worry about. It soon became apparent that other than the obvious shift in physical intimacy, he didn’t treat her any differently to before. He was caring, he was supportive; he was just, simply, Kaiden.

  This was proved true the very next morning at breakfast, when none of their friends even noticed the change in their relationship. Or at least, none except D.C., who eyed Alex shrewdly and raised her brows in question, to which Alex responded with a quick, smiling nod—and then everyone knew, because D.C.’s squeal could have woken the entire city. But once the obligatory ribbing that Alex and Kaiden received from the others was over with, it was business as usual for all of them.

  Which led them to where they were now, hours later, surrounded by a forest of crystalline trees and sitting on an island of clouds while twiddling their thumbs, just as they had been since stepping through the Gate of Wisdom earlier that morning.

  “Read the riddle again?” Jordan asked for what felt like the thousandth time.

  With a weary sigh, Alex picked up the only thing they’d discovered as unusual upon entering the Gate—a collection of bound golden parchment, each of the hundred or so pages identical and containing only five short lines written in Tia Auran:

  Through death, I am birthed

  When I am hurt, I am most loved

  Stained for a purpose, or none at all

  I have neither start nor finish

  Yet always begin and end.

  As Alex was the only one completely fluent in Tia Auran, the task had fallen to her to re-read the words again and again as she and her friends tried to brainstorm different options for answers.

  They’d come up with several possibilities already, none of which fit every line. And while they would have preferred to give each a shot just in case they were right, the moment Alex had first touched the impressive golden tome, Saefii’s voice had echoed around them to warn that they were allowed only one guess. She’d also given them a time limit—they had until sundown, at which point they would be forced to give an answer. Furthermore, Saefii had been careful to stipulate that Alex couldn’t consult Xira; that if she so much as tried to mentally communicate with her draekon while the test was in process, it would mean instant failure.

  How Saefii would know if Alex called to Xira, she wasn’t sure. But she wasn’t willing to risk finding out.

  So instead, for the last five hours, she and her friends had been umm-ing and ahh-ing to the point where they were now all scratching their heads and no closer to agreeing on an answer than when they had started. And as she followed Jordan’s request to read it again—something she hardly needed to do since she was sure they all knew it off by heart after hearing it so many times—they were still no closer to figuring it out.

  After another unsuccessful hour passed, they decided to pause for lunch and eat the food they’d been provided, hoping to come back fresh after giving their minds a short break.

&nb
sp; Spread out across the small, shiny clearing, the six of them had naturally paired off, with Jordan and D.C. quietly whispering to each other, and Declan watching Bear closely as he paced restlessly on the other side of the open space.

  “I seriously, seriously hate riddles,” Alex groaned to Kaiden.

  He was seated with his back leaning against the solid trunk of a glassy tree, while she was stretched out and lying with her head resting on his much more comfortable thigh. His hand was playing with her hair as she watched the daytime stars streaking overhead through the diamond-like leaves, the repeated motion of his fingers soothing, but not quite eliminating her frustration.

  Part of her marvelled at how natural it felt to be this close to him, to not feel even a hint of shyness at his touch. But that was Kaiden—he’d always made her feel comfortable, even during the times when it should have been impossible. After all that had happened last night, everything just felt right as Alex lay there with him.

  Everything, of course, but the unsolvable riddle.

  “We’ll get it eventually,” he said, full of quiet confidence. “We just need to look at it from every angle first.”

  Alex didn’t want to look at it from every angle. She wanted to look at it from the right angle and be done with it. And she knew she wasn’t the only one. All her friends were tense from their lack of progress, but perhaps none more so than Bear. Whether it was because of the ever-darkening shadows beneath his eyes, or simply because he was as impatient as she when it came to riddles, Alex wasn’t sure. But as she turned and watched his pacing grow even more agitated, she couldn’t help frowning.

  “What’s this for?” Kaiden asked, one of his fingers smoothing out her forehead.

  Looking back up at him, she made sure to keep her voice quiet as she said, “I’m worried about Bear.” Kaiden’s face softened with understanding, especially when she continued, “I’m worried it’s damaging him to put aside his grief for his dad.”

  “Pot, kettle,” Kaiden said gently, to which Alex admitted he had a point. But it was different for her. Because in her own way, she was dealing. She was moving on, even if it was hard a lot of the time. And she also had the benefit of receiving a sense of closure from Niyx himself, thanks to his letter.

  “I just…” She bit her lip. “He’s been acting so normal, you know? Even laughing and messing around, if slightly less than before. And that worries me, because it’s got to be eating him up on the inside. And I don’t know what to do about it. I don’t know if there’s anything I can do about it.” Other than hurry up and get rid of Aven so we can all have some time to grieve in peace, she finished mentally.

  “He’s your friend, so it’s natural you’re concerned,” Kaiden said. “But just so you know, while he might not be sleeping well—which we can all see—despite what you think, he is working through it. Just not publicly.”

  Peering up at him, Alex asked, “How do you know?”

  “Declan’s been keeping a close eye on him, quietly helping him through it. And regardless of how it may seem, Bear’s been responding well to his support.” His lips twitched with meaning as he added, “Really well.”

  Alex glanced across the clearing again, noting once more the careful way Declan was following Bear’s movements. She also recalled her conversation with D.C. just yesterday, the princess having made a similar observation. Alex still wasn’t entirely sure why Declan was there with them, but whatever the reason, if he was helping Bear through this time, then she was glad for his presence.

  Regardless, she was still curious enough to ask, “Why do you think that is? Bear finding comfort in Declan, I mean, rather than with the rest of us?”

  Kaiden considered for a moment before he answered, “You know how my parents died when I was really young?”

  Alex nodded, hating that he’d lost them so early in life, but grateful that his aunt had taken him and Jeera in and raised them in such a loving, supportive home.

  He curled a strand of her hair around his finger, watching it contemplatively as he said, “Well, Declan has a similar story, only he lost both his parents just before starting at the academy. His dad died in an accident, and his mum wasn’t able to deal in the aftermath and took off, never to return.”

  Alex looked over at the strong young man, having had no idea about his past.

  “Dec was only thirteen, old enough to understand what had happened and what it meant for him,” Kaiden continued. “And then he was sent to live with Jaxon, who you know isn’t the most caring of guardians.”

  Alex thought that was a generous description for the cantankerous royal advisor. Jaxon was awful, plain and simple. Even Declan had said as much after he learned Alex had met his grandfather at the palace in Tryllin.

  “I hate that he had to go through that,” she said quietly. “That you both suffered so deeply at such young ages. That you had to endure so much pain.”

  “There are different kinds of suffering,” Kaiden said just as quietly. “The heartache of losing a loved one, the silence of unfulfilled dreams, the hopelessness of unending despair— who’s to say what the worst pain truly is?” He shook his head again. “What matters most is how we cope in the face of our suffering; that we get up and keep trying, remembering that each new day is an opportunity for something to change; for something better to happen.”

  He looked at her meaningfully, and she smiled softly back up at him.

  Stroking her fingers along the muscles of his forearm, she asked, “So that’s what you do? Keep trying? Keep hoping?”

  “Every day.” He leaned down to press a swift kiss to her forehead. “It’s what Dec does, too. And he’s doing everything he can to help Bear do the same.”

  “Because he remembers what it’s like,” Alex guessed. “How it feels.”

  “That’s not something he’ll ever forget,” Kaiden confirmed. “And he can relate to Bear’s loss better than I can, given how old he was when his own dad died.”

  With Kaiden and Declan having lost both their parents, Bear losing his dad, even Jordan losing his brother, Alex realised that they’d all been through so much in their short lives. And yet, they were all so strong. Despite what had happened to those they loved, they had never given up. She just had to believe that whatever pain Bear was dealing with right now, he’d get through it and, like Kaiden, Declan and Jordan, become even stronger from it.

  She had to believe it for herself, too.

  “You really think he’ll be okay?” she asked.

  “He’ll never be the same,” Kaiden said, and the way he was looking at her made her realise he wasn’t just speaking about Bear. “But every day, it’ll slowly get easier.” His gaze remained locked on hers as he whispered, “I promise.”

  She closed her eyes as his assurance burrowed deep, bringing comfort and hope to the broken pieces within her.

  When his fingers brushed tenderly across her cheekbone, Alex leaned into his touch, amazed anew at how relaxed she felt with him, how content she was in his arms. But it wasn’t to last, since he soon bumped his leg under her, quietly communicating that it was time to get up and return to solving the riddle.

  “Right,” Alex said with a sigh as she stood with him, calling for the others to form a circle in the centre of the clearing. “Let’s do this line by line.”

  “Through death, I am birthed,” D.C. recited from memory. “So, we’re looking for something that is born or created when something else dies or is killed?”

  “It could be a person—women sometimes die in childbirth,” Jordan said.

  Both of them looked to Bear who, as the resident genius, was the best chance they all had to figure out the correct answer.

  “Too vague,” he said. “Not all women die—hardly any do, really. That’s too much of a generalisation. We need something more solid.”

  “In Freya, there’s a place called Death Valley,” Alex mused. “It’s a desert, but things still live and grow there. Could we be looking at a play on words like that
?”

  “Maybe,” Bear said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Or it could be something more metaphorical, like a sacrifice.”

  Declan cocked his head. “Sacrifice works—at least in the sense that someone dies for another to live.”

  “Yeah, but it doesn’t work with the rest of the riddle,” Bear said, already thinking ahead. “And we need to be looking at the whole picture.”

  Silence surrounded them as they all considered his words.

  “Next line, then,” D.C. said. “When I am hurt, I am most loved.”

  “That one doesn’t make any sense,” Jordan grumbled.

  “Could be something medical,” Kaiden pointed out. “You give treatment to someone you love in order to keep them alive, and that treatment may be painful for a short time.”

  “That’s a good theory,” Bear agreed. “But again, it doesn’t work with the other lines.”

  “Let’s stop worrying about it as a whole for now, and keep pulling it apart,” Declan said, his voice pacifying.

  “What about love itself?” Alex asked, the thought hitting her. She ticked off a finger as she said, “Through death I am birthed… Perhaps that’s someone who only realised how much they cared for another after they’d already passed away.” She touched another finger. “When I am hurt, I am most loved… Love can be the most powerful emotion of all, can’t it? It can heal and it can break. It can hurt in both good and bad ways.” She avoided looking at Kaiden as she said, “Right?”

  Her friends were nodding along, so she continued, “Stained for a purpose, or none at all… Um, I’ll come back to that one. Maybe it’s a metaphor for a broken heart?” She scrunched her face and moved on. “I have neither start nor finish, yet always begin and end.” She trailed off, unable to give a response for the last line, her ideas running out of steam.

  “You were doing well up until the end,” Bear encouraged. “But I’m pretty sure love does have a start, but doesn’t always have an end.”